In the motocross industry and other racing industries, decals are used for a variety of purposes. For example, decals may be used to convey branding information, sponsor information and information about the rider to often include numbers that identify the rider of the motorcycle. The decals typically cover plastic plates or, alternatively, metal plates that are arranged all over the motorcycle. Typically the decals comprise of vinyl support sheet with an adhesive layer thereon that provides for adhesive attachment of the decal to a plate of the motorcycle. Such decals may also be integrally molded into the plastic plate and thereby integrally attached to the underlying plate. Decals may be made from a variety of materials to include paper or other such material, but typically in the motocross industry such decals are made of vinyl or other similar material with an adhesive layer on one side and printed indicia to include graphics and/or a number or lettering on the other side opposite the adhesive.
Given that motocross is a fairly intense sport as are other racing sports, motocross motorcycles undergo a certain amount of wear and tear which can occur due to dropping the bike or for other reasons such as the rider rubbing up against the decal plates. This can, unfortunately, cause premature destruction and require replacement of decals on the plates which is undesirable. For example, one well-known wear location is in the boot region where a rider's boot tends to wear in the number plate and/or air box in a region just above the foot rest on the motorcycle. Thus, the desire to have graphics and information on the bike is not easily reconciled with the high wear environment in which the motor bike operates.
The invention provides an advancement over the state of the art.